Wait What Was That?
by hirumasfangirl09
Summary: Harry returns to the Dursleys after the events in fifth year. What happens when he is found by Francesca and Gabriel? Read to find out. Eventual slash. Don't like, don't read. sporadic updates at best. Chapter 9 now up!
1. Chapter 1

Yay new story!

- this is a crossover! it is harry potter crossed with the carpathian series.

-This starts before Dark Celebration, but I decided that a few things had to be tweaked... like the fact that when I started this, I forgot that Francesca and Gabriel had a baby so I decided to write her out of the story. This change is important because they are main characters.

-In Harry Potter it starts the summer after fifth year. Usually I like the stories where Sirius lives, but in this case it works better for him to stay dead. That's rather sad. Will not go into detail about Hogwarts in any chapter and he actually is only their briefly later on.

-disclaimer: I wish that i owned these both, but that privilege belongs to J.K. Rowling and Christine Feehan.

-Mentions of abuse and vague mentions of rape

-I don't like Dumbledore and in my story Harry doesn't either. He is not friends with Ron or Hermionie

-pairings: Gabriel/Francesca, Skylar/Dimitri, Harry/?(WILL BE SLASH! DON'T LIKE DON'T READ!) all other pairings are the same as in the books and I don't feel like listing them.

-that's all of my chatter. On with the story!

CH.1

Harry sat staring blankly out the window of the smallest bedroom of number four privet drive. His expression was carefully devoid of all emotion and he only blinked when his eyes burned painfully.

He remained unmoving when the door of his bedroom crashed open and his enraged uncle came stomping in.

He made no response when the man grabbed him and threw him against the far wall. He didn't make any sound as his uncle beat him bloody.

This treatment was nothing new for Harry Potter... it was the same every time he returned from Hogwarts, he would be escorted back by his enraged uncle before getting all of his things thrown in the cupboard under the stairs. Then he was dragged up the stairs to Dudleys second bedroom and beaten due to his 'Freakishness'. Then he would cook a perfect meal for their dinner and be forced to watch them eat it, while not eating himself. After he watched them eat he would be locked in his room and made to wait for the next morning, when he was given more chores than humanly possible to complete before Vernon returned. When he failed he was locked in his room and made to await punishment... then make dinner. The same thing every day.

It was a simple enough cycle... but it got old really fast.

He had been here for just over a month and was completely covered in bruises of all stages of healing, welts, and oozing cuts. He looked awful and it hurt to do his chores as they tweaked his broken bones. His right arm had been snapped in two places and his left leg in one. Those coupled with several broken ribs made it hard to get out of the hard bed, let alone wash every window of the house without using a ladder.

It hurt to move,to _breath_, but he had to. if he failed in his tasks he would get worse than several broken limbs... and that was to be avoided at all costs. harry stood after his uncle left the room and hobbled down the stairs to cook dinner.

/

Wind was blowing gently through the trees, creating a relaxed almost calm atmosphere. It was a quiet night... almost to quiet to be normal.

They had been in London for well over a month and the strange atmosphere had been the same every night since the beginning of June. Gabriel wanted to know why. He and Francesca had been researching the qualities in the soil around and in London, trying to discover how far the contamination was spread. But this was important, this disturbance.

He knew that Francesca could sense something off in the area, but also that she wasn't sure where or what. The previous rising they had agreed to investigate. Tonight they would know what it was.

/

Silently, a pair of owls soared across the night sky, searching for the source of the unusual disturbance that spread throughout the area. They followed it for about a half hour, out of London and to Surry. They eventually came to the ordinary, boring street of Privet Drive.

They both cringed inwardly at the disgusting sameness of the street as they landed outside of number four. They returned to their natural forms but said nothing. After a moment of scanning the area,they dissolved into mist and entered the house.

/

Harry knew that something was different that night, but he didn't know what. it grated on his already frayed nerves to have to wonder what was going on.

It wasn't .. evil... it was almost worried... gentle. Harry frowned. Who would worry about him? A useless freak who got everybody he cared about killed. But still the aura lingered. It didn't go away with time. It simply waited.

So he sat on his small, hard cot and waited for the inevitable arrival of his uncle. iI was just about 8:45 when the man returned from the pub he had gone to with friends. Needless to say, he came back teen hated when Vernon got drunk because he always wanted to be... _repaid._.. for his kindness. And lately that was happening more and more often.

Harry felt his spine tense as the man started thundering his way up the stairs.

/

Gabriel and Francesca knew something bad was going to happen when they saw the small boy tense. The boy didn't move or say anything, but that slight tensing was a dead give-away if someone knew how to look properly.

The loud steps drew closer and they anxiously waited to see what would happen. Normally they would just look into his mind to find out but the boy had powerful shields in place. Multiple locks clicked out of place and the door opened slowly. The two pairs eyes widened when they saw the extreamly obese man stumble almost blindly into the room. His face was red from the copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed, but despite that he appeared to know what he was doing.

They looked back to the boy and saw no change in his posture, like this was a common occurense.

/

Harry said and did nothing as his 'uncle' entered the small room. He knew from experience that if he did anything it would be worse than normal.

"Boy..." Vernon growled menacingly and he finally turned away from the window to face the man. No words were needed and he stood silently and faced the much larger man. "You did not finish your chores again." It was a statement, not a question. Truth be told he actually had finished... until Dudley tracked mud through the kitchen on purpose after Harry had been sent to his room. But he knew better than to argue.

"Well? You know the punishment for not finishing." Harry nodded before removing his shirt and laying face-down on the bed. He felt the anger in the lingering presence spike when Vernon pulled an old, well-used whip off of a hook by the door.

And then the large man froze cold. Harry hesitantly raised his head and looked around distrustfully. His eyes narrowed on the corner next to the desk. _Something was there._

/

Gabriel watched in avid fascination as the boys eyes narrowed on their exact location. He knew they were there. But how?

'_He is aware of us._' He sent to Francesca, though she already knew that.

'_But how? No human with supernatural powers has ever sensed one one us before._'

'_We could ask him._' He suggested after a moments pause.

'_We could... How do you suppose he will react?_'

'_It is hard to say._'

'_Well then, let us show ourselves and hope it goes alright._'

/

Harry watched the corner apprehensively. He had his senses compleatly flared and could hear a silent conversation, though he didn't understand any of it... it was in French.

Cautiously he stood, and with narrowed eyes, approached the corner. He was only slightly surprised when two stunningly beautiful figures appeared before him. They were the same, yet also compleatly different.

The man was tall at six foot five and radiated power. His eyes were a piercing black, rather reminiscent of Professor Snape, and his hair was as dark as pitch.

The woman was also tall, at five foot eleven, but she radiated compassion rather than power. Her eyes were a soft black, and her hair was like obsidian. She had an aura that vaguely reminded him of the nurse at Hogwarts so she was a healer.

Despite the physical similarities, the two looked nothing alike and were obviously not related.

After several minuets of silently staring at one another, Harry got tired of just standing their and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Who are you and why are you in my room?" His voice was a barely audible whisper of sound... more a croak than anything else. He hadn't been allowed to speak since leaving the train station at the beginning of summer.

The two shared a look and he heard more silent speaking. He glared icily.

"I don't appreciate people who speak in each others heads rather than out loud." He hissed venomously.

/

Francesca and Gabriel stopped there conversation immediately. They looked at each other in shock, but they said nothing through there link. Francesca nodded in the boys direction.

"I am Francesca and this is my Lifemate Gabriel. We sensed your distress a while back and decided to investigate." She said softly. "We did not know that you could detect our mindspeech, else we wouldn't have."

The boy nodded distrustfully.

"I could hear it but i don't speak any French .." He paused. "What did you do to him?" He was looking pointedly at his still frozen uncle. Gabriel was the one to answer.

"He is under a compulsion of the mind and cannot move unless I tell him too."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Kill him of course." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and to him... it was. Francesca shot him a sharp look for actually telling the boy that. Said boy looked rather thoughtful at the prospect.

/

Harry nodded after a moment with a small smile.

"Good. And me?" What did these two strangers have planned for him? Would they kill him as well? Or did they have something else planned?

"We were actually hoping that you would come live with us." Francesca answered with hope shinning in her eyes and it was impossible to not believe her. He felt soothed by her mere tone of voice. They wanted him to live with them.

"Why?" He had to ask. It was imperative that he know the motivation behind the suggestion. "Why would you want me to live with you?"

/

-End Chapter One.

I hope that anyone who reads this leaves a review


	2. Chapter 2

-Yay! I'm so happy you like it! My updates should be fairly fast since I have the first fourteen chaps written. They just need to be typed.

-Harry will not be paired with any of the known characters. That means(obviously) that he will be with an oc.

-disclaimer: I wish that I owned these both, but that privilege belongs to J.K. Rowling and Christine Feehan.

/

Chapter 2

Francesca felt her heart melt at the sudden vulnerability in the boys posture. She hated to see others in pain.

"We cannot bare for children to be abused. We wish to help you." The boy tensed at her words. What had she said?

"I am no child and I am most certainly not abused." He said sharply in response to the silent query. "I never have been."

"I did not mean to offend you..." She trailed off, at a sudden lose.

"Harry."

"Harry I was mearly trying to explain my motives." Harry nodded

"You will have to forgive me for not trusting you based on your words alone."

/

He was unsure of what to do. Here were two people... they were strange... who wanted to take him in after just meeting him. He had never had that before.

Nervously, he turned away from them and walked to the window. His beloved owl was never wrong. He would ask her.

"Hedwig." He called softly and could feel confusion from the two behind him. He held out his left arm and waited for a moment before the snowy owl landed on the offered limb.

She cooed at him and nipped lightly at his fingers when he stroked her feathers.

"What do you think girl? Should I trust these two?" He watched as she turned her intelligent amber eyes on his unexpected visitors. She stared at them intently for about a minuet before hooting her answer.

"Are you sure?" he asked and the owl ruffled her feathers, showing how insulted she was. "Sorry." He told her sheepishly. "I just wanted to be positive."

/

They watched in fascination as the young man talked to the beautiful owl on his arm. They appeared to understand each other perfectly.

"You can understand her?" Gabriel asked uncertainly.

"I better after five years." Harry appeared to debate with himself for several moments before he sighed. "When do we leave?"

"You trust us based on the owls opinion?" It was not said condescendingly, but rather curiously.

"She has never been wrong and I should have listened a long time ago."

/

Harry could remember asking Hedwig about all of the people he knew and then not wanting to listen. So he had ignored her until it was too late.

Violently, he shook his head to be rid of the thoughts. "I figure this is a good time to start." Hedwig cooed happily at him.

"We will leave as soon as you gather your things." Harry looked at Gabriel intently.

"If you are going to kill him then I want to watch." It could not be interpreted as a request.

"You do not need to see death. It is not a pretty thing." Harry hissed in displeasure.

"Damn it! I am not a child! I have seen death and I am well aware of what it is!" They looked shocked at his angry revelation.

"Then you have seen what you should not have."

"Try telling that to the maniac who killed my parents, boyfriend, godfather and best friend in front of me." He snorted as he remembered how he and Draco had become friends in fourth year after Ron abandoned him. After thinking about it for a moment, he decided to humor them.

/

They didn't know what to make of Harry. He didn't seem particuraly disturbed by all the death he had seen, but then he had had time to come to terms with it.

They watched as Harry walked over to his bed and reach under it, removing a floorboard. He pulled out an old photo album, a piece of silvery cloth, and a stick. They said nothing as they followed him out into the hallway and down the stairs. They watched him frown at the locks on the cupboard door, before starting when he waved his hand at it with a whispered 'Alohamora'.

The locks clicked open.

/

Harry was aware of the incredulous looks behind him but didn't explain. They obviously weren't a witch and wizard.

He opened the door and sighed as he remembered the first eleven years of his life... all spent in this cupboard. In a way he missed it... sort of.

It was relatively the same. A bit dustier maybe but the only other addition to the space was his trunk. He pulled it out stored the cloak and album. He kept his wand.

"That's everything. How are we getting where-ever we are going?"

/

Francesca and Gabriel looked at each other briefly... they hadn't thought about that.

"I guess we could fly?" She asked Gabriel.

"As dragons maybe?" They noted that Harry was not overly surprised, but rather that he appeared to have come to a rather satisfying conclusion.

"You two can fly as whatever you want. Don't worry about me." He told them as he opened the trunk and pulled out his shrunken Firebolt. "I can fly myself." He closed the lid and wandlessly shrunk the trunk, before enlarging the broom.

They blinked and looked at him in bewilderment.

"We will talk when we get to our destination." They nodded uncertainly.

"Owls then?" Francesca nodded in agreement.

"Yes. then we don't have to be invisible."

/

Harry and Francesca went outside to wait while Gabriel 'took-care' of Vernon.

"Francesca?..." He hesitated. "You are a healer right?" She was visibly curious and nodded.

"Yes. I am."  
"Do you think... could you..." he trailed off looking for words. "Can you please heal me? I cannot fly as I am."

Harry watched as Francesca cautiously reached out and touched his shoulder. He felt a ball of energy move swiftly through his body, observing, before it quickly and efficiently knitted his bones and flesh back together. When the energy pulled away, he flexed his right arm before grinning happily.

"Thanks!"

/

Francesca was shocked again. How had he been moving like nothing was wrong? They hadn't even noticed anything.

"Harry? Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Hmm? Oh. Well... I forgot about it." She stared. He forgot?

"How did you forget that your leg was broken?"

"Um.. Well..." He looked a bit sheepish. "With enough experience, you learn to ignore it out of necessity. After a while of ignoring it, it stops hurting.. actually the arm was worse." He explained and she looked extreamly concerned.

At that moment, Gabriel walked outside to join them. He had caught the end of the dialogue.

"That is a disturbing bit of information." He told the boy, who shrugged.

"So? Its true." Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes...Teenagers.

"Lets get going then." Gabriel and Francesca changed into owls, expecting Harry to freak out, while Harry got on his broom.

"Lead the way." Harry told them and they took off, the boy following behind them.

/

end chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

-My updates should be fairly fast since I have about half of the chaps written. They just need to be typed, but some of the chaps need a little help...(just a bit though) Actually, most of them are rather short so I smushed them together. What was sixteen chaps is now nine. But they are longer.

-Harry will not be paired with any of the known characters. That means(obviously) that he will be with an oc.

-It should also be noted that Harry is majorly ooc in this story... I wish he wasn't, but sadly he is(sigh)

-disclaimer: I wish that I owned these both, but that privilege belongs to J.K. Rowling and Christine Feehan.

/

chapter 3

Skylar sat on the small, adjoining balcony off of her bedroom. Her soft gray eyes were staring intently into the distance, searching the blackness of the night sky. They should have been back by now. They should have been back three days ago.

What had happened?She had talked to Lucien and Jaxon, but they did not seem to be overly worried. So she had taken to waiting on her balcony, watching, waiting for any sign of there return.

The young girl had been sitting their for a little over an hour when she felt a stirring in her mind.

'_Francesca? Are you almost home?'_ She would readily admit how anxious she was and didn't care that it showed in her voice.

'_Yes. We will be there in in about fifteen minuets...'_ Skylar heard the brief hesitation in the womans voice. _'Do not be alarmed but while we were in London we found a boy who needed help. He is with us.'_

'_I am waiting.'_

/

Harry was nervous. They would reach the house tonight and he would meet the girl that they had adopted several years earlier. He hated meeting new people. They terrified him.

Living with the Dursleys, he wasn't allowed to have friends... or even acquaintances. And then at Hogwarts he had had no true friends. They just hung around him for his fame... his money.

He did not want to do this.

/

Gabriel and Francesca were aware of Harrys anxiety as they flew. It had been very similar with Skylar and still was most of the time.

It was amazing how similar the two were. How could two people have so much in common?

/

Harry tensed immediately when his feet hit the ground. The house was amazing and welcoming but he didn't notice. All he saw was the girl standing on the back porch, waiting for there arrival.

She was close to the same height as him at five feet and five inches... only she was taller, and had shoulder length dirty blond hair. Her eyes were large and gray.

Harry saw that she was also nervous, but he wouldn't trust her based on that. He needed Hedwig for that.

He moved so that he was hidden behind Francesca, and grasped her hand tightly.

"Harry." He looked over at Gabriel, uncertainty showing clearly in his eyes. "This is Skylar, our daughter. We hope that you will get along." Gabriel was sending him waves of comfort.

Harry frowned at the man.

"Stop screwing with my emotions Gabriel." He whispered, and stepped out from his rather pathetic hiding place. He walked forward in the girls direction, radiating caution.

Looking around, he quickly found what he was searching for and held his arm out.

"Hedwig." She came down from the tree that she had perched in and landed on him. "Can I trust her?" The snowy owl cooed in her direction. "Wow really?" It was rhetorical and Hedwig could sense that. Harry looked curiously at the figure in front of him.

"I'm Harry..." He did not hold out his hand for the girl to shake, but she did not seem to be offended by it.

"I'm Skylar... welcome to France." The answer came slowly.

/

Skylar was watching Harry closely. she knew that Francesca and Gabriel trusted him... and that was very important to her, but she also knew that he was new. Different.

But what she immediately liked about the small boy was that he trusted the owl so much as too ask for her opinion. That was really all she needed to see before she trusted him.

/

Gabriel was starting to get over his shock at Harrys strange acceptance of everything, but also at the boys strangeness. He normally wasn't as willing to accept something so foreign but seemed to radiate trustworthiness and goodwill.

Yes it was strange. But he found himself not minding.

/

Harry glanced around nervously as he was led to his room...His. He was getting his own room. From a couple he had only met the day before yesterday. It made him want to weep.

He had never had anything but that miserable little cupboard under the stairs. And even that was rented space.

He was still unsure about being here with so many new people, but he trusted Hedwig. She had been his first friend and he loved her dearly. It was just so strange.

When they got to the room that would be his, he was informed that he could decorate it any way he wanted. His eyes widened and he whispered a broken "Thank you." as he closed the door.

And as he fell asleep that night, he could feel a great contentment seep into him. It was a feeling he had never had anywhere.

This group of people... they truly were... home.

/

(AN: I feel that it is somewhat important to note that originally this was the chapter break... but then I decided that it was too short.)

/

As per usual, Harry woke at 5:30 and got up. He had tried to change his internal clock at Hogwarts but it was impossible. After all, he had had the same schedule since he was four.

He dressed in his tightest jeans, despite the fact that they were still five sizes too big, and his also to big tee-shirt, before heading downstairs.

After a brief search, he found the kitchen and sighed in relief. This was the one place he could always find comfort. It was his domain. A quick search revealed everything he needed to cook himself breakfast and he set about preparing a small mushroom omellete and homemade hot chocolate.

He had enough experience with being starved that he knew better that to overeat, or to eat too heavily. It would only make him really sick.

When his food was about halfway done, he heard somebody moving around in the main house and remembered being told about housekeepers. He trembled slightly as he heard them come closer and took a deep breath breath to steel himself.

/

Drusilla frowned when she smelled cooking eggs and chocolate. Skylar was never up this early and Francesca and Gabriel were already resting. So in other words, who was in the kitchen?

She lightly nudged Santino with her elbow and nodded to the kitchen door. The man nodded his understanding and shifted so that his body was situated in front of her.

They moved quietly and quickly the rest of the way to the door and Santino pushed it open.

/

Harry jumped violently when the door opened and pulled out his wand as he turned around. In the doorway was a tall, older man with a strong build. He had light brown eyes and slightly graying brown hair. Behind him was a woman of about Harrys height but taller than Skylar with kind blue eyes and light blond hair. They were watching him cautiously.

Harry backed up so that his back was against the stove and he could see all the windows and doors. He had become far more cautious after the last two years.

The door Harry had come in through opened and Skylar walked in before freezing.

/

Skylar looked at Harry, taking note of his obvious panic, and then at Santino and Drusilla.

Her eyes widened as she remembered that the two of them hadn't been told about Harry coming to live with them.

"Santino. Drusilla." She said their names softly but it got there attention. "This is Harry. Gabriel and Francesca brought him home last night." They nodded in understanding and backed off a bit.

"Harry." She walked over to him slowly, trying to think of a way to unfreeze him. To calm him. She said the only thing she could think of. "The eggs are going to burn." He immediately sprung into action, pouring the omellete onto a plate and the chocolate into a mug.

"Sorry Aunt Petunia. I didn't mean to burn it again. It wont happen again, I promise." The words came out in a blind panic and he blinked after he thought for a moment.

"Just ignore me."

"Why did you panic? Who is Aunt Petunia?"

"Petunia is my mothers sister and I lived with her."

/

He was rather embarrassed by his slip, but in his mind it really couldn't be helped. That was the same voice that Petunia would use right before shoving his hand on the burner. Gentle and caring.

It was his natural response to do whatever the assigned task was as fast as possible to avoid punishment. It never worked, but he still tried.

He turned, with the plate and mug and sat at the island, ignoring the questions as he began eating slowly. He only managed to eat about half of the omellete before he began to feel sick, despite the fact that it was only one egg and not even a half mushroom.

/

Drusilla watched worriedly as the small boy stood and dumped the remainder of his breakfast away. As she watched, he quickly and efficiently washed his dishes and then exited the room.

"Skylar?" The girl looked at her curiously. "What do you know about him?"

"Only that he needed help... They felt him when they were in London." She paused as she thought a moment. "And that he can feel their influence."

Both Drusillas and Santinos eyes widened. He could feel that?

/

end chapter 3. This is also the end of the original chapter 4. As you can see, even that isn't overly long. oh well.

- as you can probably see the next chap is also up. go read it... go on go!


	4. Chapter 4

chapter 4

/

Harry spent the rest of the day in his room. He was being cowardly, hiding from everybody, but he just couldn't make himself leave the room.

So, he occupied himself with writing his potions essay... or at least trying to. He did not come out for lunch, he wasn't hungry. He didn't actually emerge until after dark, when he knew Francesca and Gabriel would be up and around.

Harry went to the kitchen first as he could hear soft talking from behind the door. He spent a few minuets listening and knew that Francesca and Gabriel knew he was there. He walked in and the talking stopped.

"Good evening Harry."

"Good evening Gabriel." He responded as he sat at the island.

/

Gabriel could feel how nervous the boy was to be at the center of attention and sent a small wave of comfort to him.

Harry glared darkly.

"Do not mess with my emotions Gabriel." It was a clear warning.

Santino and Drusilla were visibly surprised that Skylar had been right in her assessment.

"My apologies Harry." He wasn't sorry and everybody knew it, but Harry accepted anyway. He and Francesca both desperately wanted to ask about what had happened earlier, but also didn't want to pry.

"I told you we would talk later, simply so I could get out before my cousin returned." They nodded. "I know you have questions. Ask away."

/

It was to everybodys surprise that Skylar spoke first. "Why did you panic about the eggs?" Harry blushed in embarassement.

"Ummm... You kind of reminded me of my aunt before she put my hand in the fire." He had decided that the best way to handle living with these people was to be honest... unless they asked about Vernon. He looked up from the intense scrutiny of his hands and was surprised to see the disgust and anger on all of their faces. He shrunk slightly in his seat.

Gabriel sighed when he saw Harrys face. "Harry, we are angry at them. Not at you." The mans voice was almost excessively soft. The small teen nodded.

"I know that, but it never stopped _them_ from using me as a stress reliever." He shrugged carelessly.

"Alright, moving on. What are you? What were those things you did before we left?"

"Magic... All around the world are small communities of wizards." He held up a hand to forestall any comments as he pulled out his wand and looked at it lovingly. "It is possible so don't tell me its not... Unless you were under the impression that the only things out their are Carpathian, Werewolf, Vampire, or Mage?" All those assembled blinked in shocked silence.

Harry reveled in the fact that he could still surprise people when he wanted.

"How do you know of the Carpathians?" Francesca asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"Not many wizards do actually, if that is what you are asking... But my friend was half."

"Half?"

"Yes. His father was one, but never turned his mother. This resulted in Draco having very few traits of the carpathian male. He still needed blood, but could not shift form of control elements. He did have enhanced senses though." (AN: Narcissa is his mother, but Lucius adopted him)  
"You keep referring to him in the past tense. Did He turn?" Harry snorted in amusement.

"No. He was far too young to turn. My age actually. No he was murdered." Harry looked down again. "I don't want to talk about Draco anymore."

They sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence for a few moments before another question was asked.

"I know you can talk to your owl... can you talk to any other animals?" Once again, Skylar was the one asking.

"I am what is called a Parseltoungue. I talk to snakes."

"Fluently?"

"Yes. In their language. Snakes cannot understand any form of human dialogue." They looked slightly puzzled. "Why don't i demonstrate?" they nodded, confused. "Alright. One of you transform into a snake. Breed makes no difference." After a moments hesitation, they both shifted. Harry shrugged. It made no difference to him.

"Harry are you really going to talk to them?"

"Yes." He stared them both in the eyes and took a deep breath. _**"I hope you both believe me now."**_

"_**Yes of course but such a claim cannot be taken at face value."**_

"_**Why would I lie?"**_

"That is a good point I suppose... And you were right about not being able to understand the dialogue. If it weren't for my human mind, I wouldn't have known what you said."

"Exactly. Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"

"For right now, that is all. Maybe we will think of something later on."

Harry nodded and then allowed his thoughts to turn inward. He knew that he would have to contact Dumbledore soon, before the bastard decided to use a locator charm.

"I have a question for you now... will I be returning to my school?"

/

"Do you wish to?" Francesca asked gently, not exactly what he was asking.

"Well... In my case it is a bit more complex than that. It doesn't matter what I want. Because of who I am, I have no choice but to return."

"Who are you?" Confusion was written across all of there faces.

"I am the most famous person in the wizarding world. Harry. Bloody. Potter. The-Boy-Who-Refused-To-Die!"

"Harry that is rather morbid don't you think?"

/

(Original chap. break... also note that I changed the second part quite a bit)

/

"It is morbid, yes, but it is also the truth. I am famous because a megalomaniac couldn't kill me for some reason." He shrugged as if he didn't care, but he really did.

"Should we know why he tried to kill you?"

"Because along with being a mass murderer, he is also an incredibly dense idiot. Honestly, you don't hear half a bloody prophecy and then jump to conclusions. Hear the whole thing first!" He ranted.

"But back to your question. It is and always will be your decision. We will not try to change your mind."

"In all honesty, I don't want to go back. But I will." He stood up and turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going Harry?"

"I need to send a letter to my Headmaster. He, for some unknown reason, wants me to stay at the Dursleys and will know by now that I am gone."

Harry left the room and made his way up the stairs to his room. He would have to get around to decorating it soon. He went immediately to his trunk and pulled out parchment, quill, and ink. He sat at the desk and began to write.

'**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**As you are probably already aware, I am no longer a the Dursleys house. I am perfectly fine where I am and have no wish to return. If you do try to find me, please note that I will then refuse to return to school. I think that it lies in your best interest to leave me the fuck alone.**

**As it currently stands, I will be at school this coming term, but do not push your luck. I will NEVER go back to the Dursleys.**

**-Hoping you do not respond,**

**-Harry Potter**

/

Skylar watched as Harry came back down the stairs with a folded piece of paper and his owl. He then walked over to the nearest window and opened it. She watched with the other inhabitants of the house as he handed her the letter.

"Alright Hedwig. Take this to Dumbledore. Don't wait for a reply. But, before you leave, I want you to peck him a few times." To Skylars immense surprise, Hedwig nodded her head and hooted her understanding.

After she had left, Harry turned around and leaned against the counter. Skylar noted that he was careful to keep everybody in his sights.

"Harry?" He looked at her Questioningly. "How old are you?" He smiled lightly.

"That depends... What's the date?" He seemed to genuinely not know.

"Um... Its July 23rd." She told him.

"Then I'll be 16 in about a week." They all blinked in surprise The teen looked like he was hardly 12(AN: when I say he looks like he is hardly twelve, I am thinking a twelve year old in the four' ten",to five foot range.), let alone 16. "How old are you?"

"I recently turned 17."

/

Francesca and Gabriel smiled at each other. They knew that the two would get along after they got used to one another.

/ (I feel kind of bad for doing this but... TIME SKIP TO SEPT. 1ST)

Harry didn't want to go back to school this year. He wanted to stay at home with his new family. He embraced Skylar tighter. They had truly become siblings in everything but blood.

He felt his eyes filling with tears, and fought them back. He wouldn't cry. It had only been just over a month but it felt like longer to him.

"I'll see you as soon as I can... I miss you already Sky." The girl he was holding made no attempts to halt her tears and clung to him miserably. He clung right back.

As Francesca and Gabriel couldn't be out at this time of day, he had said his goodbyes the night before. He smiled softly at the looks of absolute shock on there faces when he had called them mum and dad. But really, they felt like parents to him. After spending nearly fifteen years alone, he finally had someone to look up to... someone to take care of him. And he wanted to take full advantage of that.

"I'll write everyday... Promise to write back?" He didn't care that he sounded so vulnerable, he didn't hide his feelings from them.

"Promise."

"Make sure Mum and Dad do too alright? I want to hear from all of you every day."

"Alright. I will." Harry nodded and reluctantly let go of the girl he thought of as his older sister. He waved miserably as he stepped onto the train. He watched as Skylar waved back and then exited through the barrier to meet Santino and Drusilla. It was too late to change his mind now. He was on his way back.

/

-end chapter 4

-wow my hands hurt now. be happy, two chaps in one day...

-the reason for the time skip is that nothing really major happened after the discussion. The summer will be brought up again later... actually the next chap.

-let me know what you think. leave a review.


	5. Chapter 5

Yay! I'm so happy that you liked it!

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own anything?

-To StormyFireDragon: I am honestly very paranoid about my spelling, but I also can't tell the difference between there and their. Could somebody tell me which is which? I would be most appreciative.

Chapter 5

Harry would readily admit that he was unhappy. Actually a better description would be that he was miserable. He had been at Hogwarts for a month already, but he couldn't stand being away from his family. Yes, they constantly wrote to each other, but it wasn't the same. He wanted to see them.

It was during dinner on the first Friday in October when his eyes finally gained some of the previous life that had been in them. He hadn't spoken since arriving, other than to answer questions in class. He always did his homework and was the head of his class. He was actually ahead of Hermione in grades. Even in potions.

He had been picking at his plate absentmindedly while reading a book when a pair of owls swooped into the Great Hall. He looked up with everybody else, it was way late for mail. Harry started when they landed in front of him. The larger of the two was male and had black feathers and piercing black eyes, while the smaller was female with gray feathers and softer eyes.

The male held out its leg and Harry pulled the short note off.

'_Can you guess who the owls are?'_ Is all the short message said and he blinked in shock at the two birds. Then he leapt to his feet in obvious excitement.

"Really!" The rest of the hall stared at him in astonishment, as he stood there smiling for the first time all term. Then he frowned. "Prove it."

The owls shared a look while the schools inhabitants decided that he had finally lost it.

Finally, the owls shrugged as best owls can and jumped off the table. Then they quickly shifted form. In the place where the birds had been standing was a tall, imposing man with dark hair and eyes, with a slightly shorter woman that also had dark hair and eyes, and despite the similarities, they looked nothing alike.

Harry didn't even blink, he just launched himself at the woman.

"Oh Harry." Francesca cooed at him happily.

"I've missed you guys so much..." He turned then to the Gabriel and latched onto him. "Where's Sky?" His parents sighed.

"We were unable to bring her." Tears filled the teens eyes and he hugged Gabriel tighter.

"I want to come home. Dad. Mum. can I?" the two shared a look over Harry's head and he heard a silent conversation in French again. "Didn't we agree that if it applied to me that you would speak out loud... and in English."

"Fine... It was always your decision to return here. If you want to come home , we are fine with it." Francesca answered.

Harry sighed. He wanted to go home... but he knew that he needed to be here. He was, after all, the figurehead of the light side of the war. The people wanted him here. They wanted him at Hogwarts.

"You both know how badly I want to be at home... but you also know that I need to stay here." he shook his head slowly. "I will stay for now. You will be the first to know if I change my mind."

"Like your mother already said, it is you choice to make and we will always support you."

/

They shared another look over Harry's head. It was disappointing that he would remain here but not unexpected. They would stand by whatever choice he made.

"As you will be staying here, we brought you a few things." The boy looked thoroughly confused. "So that you are not as unhappy." He clarified.

"I wouldn't be as unhappy if I was allowed to leave the grounds."

/

Dumbledore frowned. Who were those people that Harry seemed so comfortable talking to? He hadn't Seen the boy this happy since... Halfway through last term. He stood as the small group turned to exit the hall.

"Harry my boy!" He called from next to the staff table. Harry and the two strangers stopped and turned.

"Yes Headmaster? Can I help you with something?"

/

Harry had been hoping that they could get out of the hall and to his dorm without any interference. But apparently, that wasn't to be. He stood stalk still and waited for the old Headmaster to approach, as did Francesca and Gabriel.

"My dear boy, visitors of the students are not permitted, except in the case of an emergency." Harry frowned.

"Headmaster... It is extremely unbecoming to lie to ones students." Gasps of shock and outrage, and a few snickers from the Slytherins, filled the hall at the statement.

"Lie Harry?" The teen glared darkly.

"Yes lie. I know all of the school rules by heart. Even the more skew ones set by the founders." He watched as the wrinkled face paled. "The ones that they made unchangeable... Like the one that says, and I quote, _"If a student is unhappy to the point of becoming unnaturally introverted, almost to the point depression, than it shall be permissible for the parents and/or loved ones to visit said student. This will hopefully bring the student somewhat back to themselves."_ It goes on in better detail after that but I believe that I have made my point."

"Ah but Harry, that refers to Parents."

"In which case Gabriel and Francesca are allowed to visit me all they want!" Harry turned and started walking again.

"They are not your parents so they may not visit." The man was now visibly angry.

"They adopted me on my birthday in the Department of Magical Adoptions." Harry snarled.

/

Dumbledore blinked several times. That statement had been unexpected. How did the boy know what channels he had to go through? He had done his best to keep the teen in the dark, but apparently it hadn't worked that well. Where had he gone wrong?

/

(Original chapter break)

/

Francesca was visibly excited, almost to the point that she was bouncing in her seat. They had been contacted by Mikhail's lifemate Raven. They were going to have a Christmas party in the Carpathian Mountains this year.

Skylar didn't really know what to think about it, and they had yet to tell Harry. They would be bringing Skylar for this visit.

/

Harry sighed as he lay in his bed with the curtains closed. He was lonely and he was bored. He wanted desperately to leave this place. Francesca and Gabriel hadn't been to visit since the first time but he hoped they would soon. And maybe they would bring Sky when they did.

He missed her greatly. In the month and a half that he had lived with them, the two had become best friends.

Today was Saturday, and just barely five thirty in the morning, but he was already bored out of his mind. His homework had been completed days ago and he had nothing to do. He had just drifted into a doze when he felt a stirring in his mind.

Harry sat bolt upright. He knew that mind! She was here! He knew it! As fast as he could, he got out of bed and dressed before taking off at a run through the castle. He sprinted at top speed through the still empty corridors, taking full advantage of his knowledge of the secret passageways. It was not long before he made it outside and was racing across the grounds. When he saw the small group, he would later be embarrassed to admit that he screamed.

/

Francesca and Gabriel at each other as Skylar and Harry embraced. They hadn't seen the boy so happy since the summer. Yes, he had been happy when they had come to visit him, but he needed all three of them to be truly happy. They weren't upset by that fact... on the contrary, they felt like they had finally done something right.

/

Skylar was ecstatic. She was finally with her brother again. It felt like it had been ages since she had seen him. Letters really weren't enough.

But his letters portrayed to them all how unhappy he really was. It broke her heart and she knew that it broke Francesca and Gabriel's hearts also.

/

Harry spent the day with Skylar, showing her around and catching up on the past couple of months. They past many other students in there wandering and were stared at by the unrepentant children, and curious teachers that asked who she was.

Harry, of course, ignored the questions and kept walking.

He showed Skylar his dorm, all of the secret passageways, the room of requirements, and all of his other favorite places in and around the castle.

Eventually they returned to the Gryffindor boys' dorm and sat on his bed talking. It was just like being back home in France. It was comfortable. It was familiar. It was… home.

/

It was finally dark out and Harry was happy to be with all of his family. Francesca and Gabriel had risen about an hour ago and they were all in the Great hall eating dinner (or at least pretending to).

Everybody was easily able to see how angry the headmaster was. Harry looked at the man, glared, and then flipped him off.

"Harry!" Francesca admonished, making said boy grin unrepentantly.

"What?" He had adopted an obviously fake innocent expression.

"You know what."

"No. What?" Skylar started laughing and Harry soon joined in.

All through the meal, the four bantered happily back and forth, and everybody who had any observational sills at all could see that Harry belonged with them.

After the teens had finished eating, the group went outside and sat by the lake so they could get some privacy.

"Harry, a few days ago we got news from the Prince and his Lifemate." She paused for a dramatic effect. "There is going to be a Christmas party in the Carpathian Mountains this year!"

"Umm… Okay?" He really didn't know what to think about that bit of information. How did they want him to respond? What was he supposed to say?

Francesca smiled brightly.

"You get to meet the rest of the Carpathians Harry! It's exciting!" Her eyes met Gabriels' and Harry glared at them.

"Must we always go through this?"

"One day we will remember… Harry we were discussing the possibility of you having a Lifemate." Gabriels' eyes were serious.

Harry and Skylar looked at each other and blinked.

"I could be turned?"

"I am nearly positive you could. "If women can, then why not men?"

"Hmmm… I guess… But do you really think so?"

"Yes. We think both of you may have one."

"It really can't be a coincidence that brought us all together, can it? Francesca asked.

"I don't believe in coincidence Mum."

/

The other three Daratranzonoffs left a few minutes later, as they had to fly back to France that night, but Harry was glad they had come.

Besides, there was only two weeks until school let out for Christmas. He still didn't know what to think.

/

-end chapter 5

-Please continue to make me happy by reviewing…

- I love you all


	6. authors note

Ok I'm sorry for getting peoples hopes up but I feel like I need to explain my absence…

This is going to sound like a really crummy excuse…

Basically, I had my flash drive sitting right next to me on the couch in my room… and when I went to pick it up so I could type, it was gone.

I swear to whatever god you choose to believe in that I have ripped the house apart looking for it… but unfortunately, the only things I can come up with are that it either sprouted legs and ran away from my somewhat abusive nature(honestly the poor thing was about to die) or one of the cats ate it. The latter would not really surprise me as they eat anything.

But the worst part was that I had updates for everything on that… with no other copies existing. With that in mind I have been rewriting the new chapters and should hopefully be able to post them soon.

I realize that this is no excuse but I felt the need to explain.


	7. Chapter 6

This chapter is new! This is the version of chapter that I like better. If you read the first one that I posted, read this one now or chapter 7 won't make any sense!

-Be happy! This chap is really long! For me anyway…

-I usually don't have more than five typed pages but this one is more.

-I changed a really big section of this chapter and added another.

Chapter 6

Harry sat stiffly in one of the overstuffed crimson armchairs in the Headmasters office. He was trying to not lose his temper, really he was. But honestly, the man was just so _infuriating_. How could Dumbledore expect him to stay at Hogwarts for the winter holiday when he had a family to go home to now?

"Harry, I know that you want to go visit with your... Ah, Family. But it really is not practical. You are putting them in danger from the remaining Death Eaters." The man said.

"Headmaster, I do not appreciate you interfering in my life." His voice was tight and a glare had made its way onto his face. "As Voldemort is dead, I will not make myself unhappy to suit your need for control." He finished speaking in a snarl.

"Now, Harry... You know that I-"

"You have no say in what I do! As I was adopted, you are no longer my magical guardian!" He stood up and started toward the office door. "Goodbye Dumbledore. I will not be back."

And then he was gone.

/

Drusilla, Santino, and Skylar were all standing outside of Kings Cross Station waiting for Harrys train to arrive. As it was three in the afternoon, Gabriel and Francesca could not be there with them.

Despite the fact that the housekeepers were not as close to Harry, they too were excited to see him.

/

Harry knew that his parents couldn't meet him but the rest of the household could. And he could live with that. Besides, he knew that he would see them later.

The train ride had been spectacularly uneventful, other than Ron entering his compartment to spout nonsense as usual. As had become the norm that semester, Harry had completely ignored his once best friend in favor of thinking about his family.

He was rather anxious about meeting the rest of the Carpathians. On one hand, he would find out where his parents and Draco had come from. But on the other hand, he didn't like meeting new people.

He figured though, that as long as they didn't show up out of nowhere, he would be fine.

When he walked through the barrier at the station, Harry was embraced tightly without warning. He stiffened minutely until he realized that it was Drusilla. He and the caring woman weren't close, per say, but they got along. When he was released, Santino shook his hand firmly.

They started back to the car, and from there, to the hotel they were staying in for the day. The entire trip, he and Skylar did not let go of one another.

/

Tonight they were taking a plane to Romania and then they would rent a car for the rest of the way. After all, it was best to appear as normal as possible.

Harry had never been on a plane before and was nervous. Actually he was nervous about the entire trip. Why was he going again?

/

Everybody in the house knew how scared Harry was. It was painfully obvious and Francesca felt kind of bad for putting her teenagers through this. But at the same time, she knew that they would thank her later… Much later.

/

Skylar had managed to push aside her own anxiety, in favor of wondering how Harry would take it. Yes she scared, but at the same time, she had been talking to some of them via internet games and sort of knew them.

Harry on the other hand was petrified at the thought of meeting anyone new. It made her wonder how he had lived through school.

/

As soon as they reached the house they would be staying in, Harry scouted out his room and barricaded himself inside. It wasn't as if Gabriel and Francesca couldn't get in, but they would respect his wish for privacy and he knew that.

Quickly, he unpacked, before falling face first onto the bed. He really didn't know how to react to this situation. It was just so... foreign.

He didn't understand the necessity for him to come to this Christmas thing. Why couldn't he have just stayed home in France?

It was probably some weird family bonding thing.

His thoughts continued to jump around chaotically for about an hour until he fell asleep.

/

(Original chapter break)

/

It was finally Christmas Eve, and Harry Potter had no difficulty admitting that in the week they had been here (School let out on the 14th...) he had been hiding. He would very reluctantly show up tonight, but it was only because his parents and Sky wanted him to. And he would make sure that everybody knew it.

At that particular moment in time, he was cooking himself a large omelet. While he did so, he wondered why he liked them so much. It didn't really make sense. After a moment, Harry shrugged and dismissed the thought as he slid his eggs onto a plate and covered it in sour cream and homemade salsa.

He ate slowly, enjoying the way the jalapenos burned his tongue at the same time the sour cream soothed it.

When he was about halfway done, he felt the presence of somebody he didn't know entering the property. Before he even had time to think, he was out of his seat and crouched in a clearly defensive posture.

The intruder held up his hands in the universal, 'I come in peace!' gesture. Harry didn't lower his wand. Nor did he relax his stance. He stared challengingly into the mans black eyes.

"You must be Harry. I have heard many things about you from Gabriel." The voice was soft and meant to be calming, but it had no effect on the boy.

"You will forgive me for not knowing who you are." The tone was cold and almost overly wary. The stranger blinked in surprise.

"I am Mikhail Dubrinsky, Prince of the Carpathians. Tell me Harry, Is Gabriel in?" Harry still made no more to relax but eyed the man distrustfully.

Slowly, Harry straightened up and began edging his way towards the hall door. He relaxed immediately when his father appeared behind him, sending calming waves.

"Gabriel... Stop it!" He hissed at the man. "And believe me when I say that doing it again will get you green hair!"

"My apologies Harry..." His eyes said otherwise. "Why don't you take your breakfast to your room while I talk to Mikhail?"

"Sure. Accio Harrys Breakfast." The plate flew over to him and he walked tensely out of the room.

/

Gabriel grinned broadly at the look of Mikhails' face. It was purely shock.

"Gabriel... What just happened?"

"Harry hates to have his emotions manipulated. He prefers to handle them himself. I tried to calm him, which is the reason for the threat... He summoned his food because he is scared of you." He was still grinning in amusement.

"Why is he scared of me...? And he didn't really act scared."

"He hates all new people. They terrify him. You have met Skylar correct?"

"She seemed a bit… skittish."

"That is one way to put it. Harry is even more so, although he is able to put it aside if a threat is perceived. If I hadn't shown up when I did, I think you would have been in trouble." He didn't elaborate on what he meant by trouble.

"So, was there a purpose for this visit?"

"I just wanted to inform you that Gregori will be playing the part of Santa Clause at tonights celebration... He just is not aware of it yet."

Gabriel started laughing uproariously. The thought of his younger brother dressed up as St. Nick was just too much for him to handle.

/

Harry sat in his room for a long time after Mikhail had left, contemplating his cowardice. Intellectually, he knew Gabriel wouldn't let anything happen to him, but he really couldn't help it. So much had happened to him that he just wasn't able to calm down.

He was aware that his parents left quite quickly and wondered what had happened. It had to have been a pretty big emergency for them to not tell him about it.

He exited his room and went into the kitchen to await their return. It was at that point that he remembered that Skylar had been gone since before he had woken up. Where had she gone?

/

(I am taking a small scene from Dark Celebration and changing a few things. I hope this doesn't count as plagiarism)

/

Gabriel took another aggressive step towards Dimitri. "Would you like to tell us _exactly how_ this happened and how you came to be here at the same time?"

Dimitri bared his teeth. "Push me too far, Gabriel' and I will take her with me now."

Gabriel's hand shot out, fingers locking tightly around Dimitri's throat. "Do not threaten me or my family Dimitri."

The other male didn't so much as flinch beneath the crushing fingers. His gaze focused on Skylars face. "You are my Lifemate." his voice came out husky, but it came out all the same.

/

Harry had followed his parents as fast as he could, but he didn't know where they were going and so couldn't apparate. So, instead he ran... And Harry was fast.

Years of outrunning Dudley and his gang, Death Eaters, Random enemies, Voldie, and miscellaneous creatures would do that. He could tell that something majorly important was happening, but he didn't know what.

He finally reached the section of the path where the tree had fallen and halted. So many people... no. Not people. Carpathians.

Gabriel had his hand wrapped around another males throat, and Francesca was trying to get him to let go. The other male was holding an unconscious Skylar. He recognized Mikhail observing carefully from a few feet away, and past him was another unknown couple.

He crept out of his hiding place when Skylar was woken up, and approached slowly… Cautiously. His sister suddenly started going on about a presence influencing the mens' reactions.

When he was close enough to hear clearly, he flared his senses to figure out what they were talking about. His eyes widened in shock.

"...Carpathian blood. It's hard because I carry the blood, but I'm not fully Carpathian." Harry chose that moment to interject, startling everybody.

"It is coming from the second floor of the inn." All eyes focused on him in shock and/or confusion. "It feels both male and female... It is a Mage possessing a human female. She is unaware of what is happening."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He swallowed thickly, and silently apparated himself to Skylars side. He grabbed her and held tight, ignoring the growl of the male who had been holding her.

His nerves were shot and he needed the comfort.

"How do you know this Harry?" Mikhail asked softly. The teen shook his head and made him himself as small as possible.

The trembling increased and he leaned against his mother, while still holding Sky, when the prince stepped closer.

"Mikhail..." Gabriels tone was slightly warning, but not a lot. The man stepped closer.

"Rictumsempra!" The prince went flying away from Harry, who then apparated over to Gabriel and burrowed deeply into his arms, trying to gain a semblance of calm.

/

Aiden, Alexandria, Dimitri, and Mikhail all stared in dumfounded shock at the trembling teen in Gabriels arms. The man sighed in dismay and stroked Harrys hair gently.

"Thank you Mikhail for scaring him half to death." The prince had the decency to look sheepish. "Harry?" He asked in a near whisper, but was ignored. He sighed again and continued petting the boys hair.

'_Gabriel?'_

'_Yes Harry?'_

'_Why am I such a coward?' _Gabriel growled, startling those in the area.

'_You are no such thing!'_

'_Do not lie to me.'_

'_You should know that I never lie. You finally have someone to trust and your mind realizes that it doesn't have to pretend anymore.'_ He said.

'_I guess...'_

Harry jumped when a hand lightly touched his arm but then he relaxed when he realized it was Skylar. Instantly the tension bled out of his shoulders.

'_Do I have to talk to them?'_

"Yes."

"Damn. Can't I go home?"

"No. Now get over it."

"I don't want to."

"Too bad."

"Bastard."

"Thank you."

"Ass Hole."

"I know." Harry finally loosened his death grip a bit and turned to face the incredulous faces of the Carpathians. They obviously weren't expecting that dialogue, but to the family of four, it was a normal occurrence. And Harry used that normalcy to cal himself down.

"Dad are you sure I can't go home?" He decided to try one more time.

"Yes, now shut up." Those assembled who hadn't seen them interact openly gaped.

"Okay Mikhail. I know you have questions, what are they?"

"Harry, I need to know how you got that information."

"No you don't."

Harry glared darkly and twitched his wand, which was still held lightly between his fingers. Gabriels hair turned a bright neon green (AN: my favorite color).

"I think that I will leave your hair like this for a while, as you have been warned countless times."  
"Harry, that wasn't-" Gabriel started to argue for the sake of saving his hair.  
"I don't care if it was in Ancient Carpathian instead of French." The others looked shocked again.

"Then I guess I deserve it..." He conceded after a moment and tried to not look flustered. "But Harry, why do you refuse to tell Mikhail?" There was honest confusion in the mans eyes.

"Because the information will not mean anything to anybody but me."

"Ah. That makes sense. But you should still tell him so that he has the knowledge."

"Fine." He huffed in annoyance. "I am able to expand any of my senses exponentially, to any degree that I want... Basically, I could feel Sky following it and traced it before she could be detected."

"Did it detect you?" Harry and the rest of the family snorted.

"Even if it did, it wouldn't understand it... It would have detected Sky because of the Carpathian blood, but I have none and no Mage has ever understood someone like me and lived to share the information… We are even more secretive than the Carpathians."

/

-end chapter 6

-Yay! Longest chapter yet!

-I cut this in a different spot than I originally wanted, but this works better.

-Thank you for reading! Please review!


	8. Authors Note 2

AN:

HOLY FUCKING SHIT! NOBODY IS GOING TO BELIEVE THIS BUT I HAVE FOUND THE STUPID FLASH DRIVE!

I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED!

I WILL BE UPDATING SOON AS THIS MEANS I NOW HAVE THE MISSING CHAPS OF MY STORIES AS WELL AS MY NON-POSTED STUFF BACK. GIVE ME A FEW DAYS TO EDIT AND THERE WILL BE A CHAP OR TWO AS REWARD!


	9. Chapter 7

_**I need everybody who skipped right to this chapter to go back and read chapter 6! I posted the version that I like better so you all need to read it so you know what's going on!**_

Chapter 7

After the nearly painful question and answer session, they returned home to work on their contribution to that night's dinner. Originally, they were only making gingerbread houses as center pieces, but Harry wanted to do more than that. They would still be making the gingerbread houses, but as a family. Harry on the other hand, was making a spiral ham with cinnamon-honey glaze, and covered in pineapples.

He had been marinating it since yesterday, so that it could go into the oven, leaving just enough time to take it out of the oven and go. He put the meat in the oven and turned around, so that he could begin setting up the walls of the small houses for construction.

It was a bit odd, though. He felt like a part of himself that had been missing for a great while was finally getting closer. He had felt it to a lesser degree all night, but it was getting stronger. A lot stronger. To the point where he really just wanted to go investigate.

He had been fighting it for a long while when it reached a peak. He turned around and was met with a startling sight.

/

Gabriel hurried into the kitchen when he felt Harrys' overwhelming panic along with the presence of another male.

Harry was pressed as far into the corner next to the refrigerator as he could get and staring wide-eyed at a male that Gabriel had not seen in nearly a thousand years.

/

Harry stared in complete shock at the man in the kitchen doorway. The man was tall and had long dirty blond hair and penetrating brown eyes that held curious gold flecks. He had tight, toned muscles.

But what he couldn't comprehend was the pull he felt from the man. It couldn't be... Could it? This pull he felt...

"Markus! How unexpected... What brings you here?" The man, apparently named Markus, looked at Gabriel a moment before blinking.

/

It was a great surprise to see Markus so unexpectedly after so long, standing in his kitchen. His old friend looked exactly the same as he had all those long years ago, before he had begun chasing Lucien, but that really wasn't any big surprise.

No. What he found slightly disturbing and/or surprising was the way Markus was watching Harry.

/

Harry slowly unglued himself from the wall and inched his way towards his father. Gabriel was staring intently at the strange man, as if he was trying to examine the others soul.

'_Dad?'_ Harry really only used mind-speak when he was upset, but that seemed to be all the time now.

/

He started and looked away from the blonde. He knew that Harry rarely talked like that, only when he was truly confused or scared.

'_Yes Harry?'_

'_Who is he?'_

'_An old friend of mine. His name is Markus Valeres.'_

'_I-I feel a connection to him.'_ The boy paused. '_I think… that he is my Lifemate.'_ Gabriels shock showed on his face.

'_Why don't you go to your room while I talk to him?'_ Harry nodded his acceptance and was gone with a small pop.

/

Harry sighed in relief as soon as he was out of the man's range of sight. Seriously, his stare was so intense. It felt as though it could see strait to his soul.

/

Gabriel stared intently into the eyes of his old friend for several minutes, trying to see something that would give him a clue.

"What happened Gabriel?"

"You scared him."

"I apologize for that then." The words came out in a strangely detached manner.

"It is fine. He has been getting better." There was a short pause.

"How are you doing Markus?" It was several questions in one.

"It has been difficult these last few years." Gabriel sighed. Markus was nearly as old as he and Lucien were.

"And you have yet to find your Lifemate."

"Yes. Though I have been feeling a strong pull for the about a year now. It is possible that if I follow it, I will find my mate."

"A pull?"

"From my soul." Gabriel stared with a blank expression for several minutes.

"That is… most unusual."

"I am aware of that. But it has _distracted _me from the Darkness."

"Distracted?" He had never heard of anyone being distracted from it before.

"I am not complaining Gabriel." The man said slowly, as if unsure of himself.

/

Harry emerged from his room a short while after Markus left. The man terrified him. Well, that wasn't exactly true. He was terrified by the _idea_ of the man. The idea of a Lifemate. And Harry didn't _want _a Lifemate. Well he did. But he didn't want to have to deal with it so soon. He also knew that if he was right, that he wouldn't be able to avoid meeting and talking to the man.

Harry frowned slightly to himself as he looked out the kitchen window. Why was Sky out there alone? Where was she going?

Immediately, he stood from the stool he was sitting on and exited the house through the kitchen door. His frown deepened when he saw her enter the woods. With all the Vampire activity recently, they weren't supposed to go into the forest by themselves. So, he did the most logical thing he could think of… he followed her. At least he knew he could protect her.

The path that she had followed was nearly nonexistent, and he could only follow it because of the path she had left in the snow. That path made it overly easy to track her. He sighed in exasperation. Why did his sister always forget to think? Honestly. Sometimes he thought her brain had melted from the past trauma (AN: I feel really bad for saying that…).

Soon enough he emerged into a small clearing. He could clearly make out his sister slowly approaching a wolf that had become caught in a hunters trap.

The fact that she was going closer to the injured animal was not worrying… well it was. But the more concerning fact was the pure evil that he felt radiating from it.

"Sky. Get away from there. It is Undead." He spoke the order softly but firmly, making the older girl freeze in place. She remained motionless for a few long seconds before turning and running to Harry.

"Are you sure?" He was glad that she had waited to question him until she was at his side.

"Yes. I feel his evil." He spoke calmly, never taking his eyes off of the threat.

As he watched, the Vampire began shifting, regaining its true form. Yellow/grey skin stretched taught over a bullet shaped skull, pointed rotting teeth showed through the angry snarl. Sky screamed.

"Do you really think screaming will do any good?" He asked her in exasperation. A sidelong glance showed that the girl was blushing.

"Sorry. I didn't mean too."

"It's alright. Now go hide somewhere until I kill it." Again she obeyed without question.

As if responding to an unseen signal, the Undead lunged forward, screaming in anger at being ignored.

With a sigh, Harry snapped his fingers and the creature froze in place.

"Now really, you shouldn't be so impulsive. It's bad for your health." He snapped his fingers again and the smell of burnt meat filled the air, although there was no visual reason for it. One last wave of his hand and the vampire was on fire.

Immediately he turned his back and walked over to where Skylar was hiding behind a tree. When she saw him, she hugged him tightly. "Thank you Harry, you just saved my life." He responded by hugging back.

Moments later though, he let go and spun around, automatically dropping into a defensive crouch. Standing there in the clearing where he had just incinerated the Vampire were two Carpathian males. Sky's mate Dimitri and Harrys' potential mate Markus. That was just great.

They had forgone the protective instincts so well known in the Carpathian race and were just staring at the short boy incredulously. Harry didn't stand out of his crouch though. He didn't trust people based on sight alone… except his parents. But he was around them so much that he could recognize them by aura alone.

"Harry it's alright. It really is Dimitri. I don't recognize the other one though." Cautiously he returned to a standing position and watched them warily. He would take no chances. Not with his life and not with Skylars.

A moment later, Markus spoke.

"How did you destroy the Undead?" Dimitri said nothing.

"That is none of your concern." And with that he spun around, grabbed his sister and apparated into his bedroom back at the borrowed house. Upon arrival, they were accosted by a very worried Gabriel and Francesca.

"Where have you two been?" Gabriel demanded as Harry flopped gracelessly onto his bed.

"I followed her." Harry pointed at the other teen who started blushing. "I have no idea where she thought she was going but I had to kill an Undead." Francesca paled and Gabriel growled in his displeasure.

Harry had no visible reaction to the anger of his father, but internally he cringed. It didn't matter that he knew the anger wasn't directed at him, but at the situation. Skylar, on the other hand, paled with her shame. She was the one primarily at fault. She had left the protection of the house, without a Carpathian male at her side.

"What do you mean you had to kill an Undead?"

"It would have attacked Sky. I really had no choice in the matter. It had disguised itself as a wolf caught in a trap, and she was not expecting it."

Gabriel turned to the ashamed figure of his daughter and leveled a firm stare at her.

"Skylar? Would you like to explain why you left the house?"

"I can feel Dimitris' pain. It called for me to help him. Then I heard a wolf, and assumed it was him. I was wrong."

It was at that moment that they felt several men approach the house. Gabriel did a quick scan of the area and identified the prince, Markus, Dimitri, and Gregory.

"Well, considering who is here, it would seem that you left something out." With that he turned and left the room, heading for the kitchen. Harry had known that they would follow. There wasn't ever any doubt about that.

"I guess they will want to know what I did to it. I am not Carpathian, so they will want to know how I killed it." He followed his father out the door. The girls followed them.

"I need to speak to Harry." They heard as they approached the kitchen door. With a silent sigh, Harry opened the door and stepped inside.

"I figured that would be the case. What do you want to know?" He sounded resigned.

"How did you kill the Vampire?"

"I set the heart on fire. I can't touch the blood, for its acid qualities, so I don't remove the heart."

"But how is such a thing possible?"

"What? To incinerate it from the inside out?" The Prince nodded in confirmation. Harry silently summoned an apple from the counter. He levitated it in front of himself, and then snapped his fingers, just like he had done with the Undead. He did nothing for a long moment, but then waved his hand. The apple broke in half, showing that the inside was cooked, while the outside had been left untouched. "That is what I did to the Vampire. And then I set the body itself on fire."

They all stared at him cluelessly. Even he had to admit that it sounded a bit absurd, and he was the one who had done it.

/

He had finally managed to escape to his room, and he didn't even know how he had done it. He had begun to lose his patience with the endless questions, and had felt his anger spike, along with his magic. Maybe that was it? Maybe blowing all of the windows up had gotten the point across when nothing else had? All he knew was that he had turned and stalked out of the room without a word and nobody had said anything.

Now he was lying on his bed, directing a fireball to flit lazily around the room. His eyes flicked after it, not really paying attention. His day had been nothing short of chaos, and it wasn't even over yet. Now he really didn't want to go to the Christmas party. It was sure to build on his already frayed nerves.

He was so not looking forward to this. And people were going to want to be introduced to him. Because of who his parents were. He didn't want anything to do with it. He had had enough of that in the wizarding world. People wanting to know him because he was Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. He was done with everything. And he was especially done with being stared at. The staring was inevitable. He was a commodity here. A puzzle. Something to figure out. He had told nobody that he was a wizard. They all just thought that he was a human with overly strong psychic abilities.

He lay there stewing for the time he had remaining, and in reality it made him quite mad. He shouldn't have to do what these unknown people said. He should be able to be himself. To make his own choices.

He was drawn out of his internal rant when he heard a knock on the door. Slowly he sat up and then used his wand to open the door. It was Francesca.

"It is time to go."

"Do I have to?" he asked, hoping the answer would be no.

"Yes. What would the point in coming here, have been, if you don't go to the main event?" he really hated how her logic made so much sense. It just wasn't bloody fair. He wanted to say that he hadn't been looking forward to it, but she would see right through _that_ lie.

"Fine. But be aware that I am not happy about it."

"Yes, that has been duly noted. Now move it mister." Harry sent a mild glare in her direction, but did as she said.

With more than a little reluctance, Harry removed himself from the bed and slumped out of the room, all the while being followed closely by his mother.

…..

End of chapter!

Yes I know it's short. And yes I know it's late. I apologize. Life happens and usually gets in the way of writing.


	10. Chapter 8

Chapter eight.

Authors note: Alright everybody, I have something to say to everybody who is impatient with my update speed… which I realize is like all of you. In actuality this is for those who left reviews about me needing to hurry up with my updates. _**YES I REALIZE IT'S BEENLIKE A MILLION YEARS SINCE IVE POSTED ANYTHING BUT LIFE HAS BEEN BLOODY INSANE LATELY. I GOT A JOB OFFER SO I QUIT MY JOB AT SUBWAY AND NOW MY HOURS ARE EVEN MORE HECTIC THAN THEY WERE BEFORE. TO TOP OFF THE INSANE WORK HOURS I ROLLED MY CAR AND HONESTLY NOBODY KNOWS HOW I EVEN SURVIVED, SO **__**EXCUSE ME**__** FOR HAVING OTHER THINGS TO DEAL WITH BESIDES WRITING FANFICTION FOR ALL YOUR UNGRATEFUL ASSES! **_ That was really just for the people being overly impatient with me. and i dont necessarily mean this story. Now. On with the chapter. I do wish to thank everyone else who left kind encouraging reviews.

-Its only about three pages this time…

-Disclaimer: if I owned either of these, I would be rich and could buy a new car…

/

When he emerged from the hallway into the kitchen he was unsurprised to find Markus and Dimitri standing by the door waiting. With a sigh he went to the oven and pulled out the ham that he had been baking. It was perfect.

"So you finally decided to emerge from your hole little brother?" Skylar asked him in an overly sweet voice. Harry who was in a bit of a bad mood already didn't even look at her when he flipped her off.

"Ouch. That hurts." She said sarcastically.

"Good. Now shut up and leave me alone." He told her in a half amused, half annoyed voice. He studiously ignored the growling that came from Dimitri. "If we are going then let's get to it."

"Oh, poor little Harry, in a bad mood because he didn't get his way." The girl continued to prod, much to their parents' amusement.

"Sky, if you want to go to the party with neon purple hair then, by all means, please continue." He told her softly as he walked out the door and into the cold winter night. He wanted to just get to the party and have it be over and done with.

The others in the group followed him out the door and they all silently started down the path after the irritable boy-who-lived.

/

Harry found that as they went on, it was easier for him to get his emotions back under control. He knew that he shouldn't take anything out on his family, especially since it wasn't their fault. He sighed heavily and let his tense shoulders relax. The cold winter air was helping him think.

So much had gone on tonight, and it wasn't even half over yet… yeesh.

This family thing was exhausting. He loved it, make no mistake, but it was completely foreign to him. He had to take time every day he was with them to put his head on straight, and not take out his stress on everybody else in the world. Before, it hadn't mattered what kind of mood he was in. nobody had really cared anyway. But here they did.

/

Markus watched the young male, who he was now certain was his Lifemate, with interest. The teen was an anomaly. The ancient had seen him act confident and them turn around ten minutes later and be completely timid and shy. It was almost like the other had two different personalities. The one for the world and the one for in private.

He wondered what could have made such a thing necessary. Nothing that he could think of himself made any sense.

/

As he took the time to breath and get himself under control, Harry noticed that something in the air was…off. Like it had been in the clearing earlier. As soon as he realized that he froze and flared all of his senses.

"Harry? What is it?" Gabriel asked softly, not wanting to ruin his concentration.

"The Mage is attacking. I need too…" he trailed off as he cl0osed his eyes and furrowed his brow. Their group was completely silent. They hardly dared breathe, for fear of distracting him. "Done. I made it mad though. I doubt that we will make it through the night without an attack by his puppet."

"Who was it targeting?"

"Do you actually expect me to know who anybody is? Several groups of Carpathians." He said in exasperation.

"Alright fine. Be logical like that." Skylar sniped, seeing that her brother was in a better mood and was unlikely to hex her.

"I will, thank you." He looked around at her briefly.

"Lets get a move on everybody." Gabriel interjected, before an argument could start.

"Okay."

/

He had to admit that the party wasn't as bad as he feared it would be. Everybody he was introduced to made sure to not get too close to him and not pry into his business. That in and of itself was rather refreshing. He had to admit. Seeing Gabriels brother dressed up as Santa clause was rather hilarious too… especially the way he subtly glared daggers at the prince. He had watched Skylar get up on stage and sing a rather beautiful song that he didn't know. And somehow, he wasn't sure how, Markus had convinced him to dance.

The dance had been an experience, considering that Harry had never actually learned how, but he found that he did rather well with the older male leading.

"Harry…" The man started, "I need to talk to you in private later. It doesn't have to be tonight, but before you return to France would be nice."  
"I think I know why, but I don't know… if I can talk to you in private." He held up a hand to forestall an interjection. "Not because of my parents, Markus, Because of the way I am. When I went to live with them, I couldn't be alone with either Skylar or the housekeepers for over a week." He told the man softly, embarrassed by the admission.

"Then I will talk to you and Gabriel together. Is that alright?"

That the man was willing to do such a thing for him was such a weird experience for Harry. All his life, he had been told what was going to happen and when. Now enter a man he had only known for a few hours, making concessions for Harrys happiness and peace of mind.

"Thank you Markus. That would be great." He gave the hunter a brilliant smile.

/

The night slowly wound down to a close, and all of the families of Carpathians began to trickle towards to exit, so they could go to ground after a long and eventful night. As Harry approached the door he saw one of the women, Shea, talking to an older woman who was walking heavily on a cane. Immediately his senses were on alert and he threw an indestructible ward around the elder woman who he sensed was Mage possessed.

Apparently he was just in time, as the woman thrust the tip of the cane up at Shea's very pregnant belly. They all saw that there was a needle gleaming at the end, and Harry was grateful for the ward he had chosen also worked on objects. Nothing was getting in or out until he had dealt with that Mage.

He made his way to where the woman was trying to furiously break out of the bubble, and not having any luck at all.

"Hmm." He muttered as he got closer. The mage was close to the surface, his eyes glaring hatefully at everyone surrounding him.

"What is going on?" Shea asked in a panic, arms wrapped protectively around her belly. "Why did she try and attack me. And why didn't it work?"

"Harry, maybe you should explain it to everyone." Gabriel suggested calmly.

"Yes." He turned to look at Shea and her Lifemate. "She isn't herself, as you can see. She has been possessed by a very powerful Mage." Several people drew in a sharp breath. "I have her contained for now, so that I can track the Mage back to his body… Unfortunately if I were to destroy the mage right now, it would kill her. Not something we want to have happen, I'm thinking." He spoke loud enough for them all to hear him, but soft enough that it didn't carry to the guests of the inn.

"How were you able to contain her?" one of the unattached males asked, almost coming across as accusatory.

"It s one of the strongest containment wards I know. It keeps anyone or thing excluding me from going in or out. I'm thinking I choose the right one. That needle looks vicious." He made the observation calmly, and without inflection. "I am certain that it has some type of poison on it that should be studied. They might use something similar in the future, and it would be useful to know what it does, so that everyone knows how to counter it." The last was directed at Mikhail and Gregory, as they were at the top or the foodchain, so to speak. They nodded in agreement.

"Shouldn't we not talk of important things like this in front of a Mage possessed? Isn't he able to hear through her ears?" Somebody asked

"She can't hear us. She is hearing something else entirely. It is all part of that lovely ward around her. It is funneling a fake conversation through." He stepped up to the edge of his bubble and looked at her calmly. He closed his eyes in concentration again and followed the trace of mage from the woman, back to the Mage, hidden far away from civilization, in a deep, dark cave. "Got him." He then proceeded to mentally shove at the Mage, dislodging him from the body of the woman, and kept pushing until he was sure he couldn't get back in. The old woman collapsed to the ground, immediately.

Harry dropped the ward and staggered as he put a hand to his head. He had a killer headache now from using too much magic in such a short space of time.

He smiled gratefully as Gabriel picked him up and Skylar gave him a large piece of chocolate. She always made sure to keep some on her for emergencies… thankfully.

"All done." He announced to the stunned audience around him, before cuddling into his fathers' arms and falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

/

END OF CHAPTER!

-yes I know its short, and that it probably sucks. I think that at this point, this story only has one or two chapters and the epilogue left.

Like I said, I have had a lot of shit going on and honestly I am in pretty bad pain right now from sitting here typing. Take my word for it, please, ROLLING YOUR CAR SUCKS AND WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE SUCK TOO! DON'T DO IT! MAKE SURE YOU SLEEP LOTS BEFORE DRIVING ANYWHERE!

-anywho, I know that its short, but it gets us through the party, and I can get into Markus and Harrys relationship now. I thought of cutting it before the attack, because I haven't read Dark Celebration for a while. But I decided that I could get away with changing it… so I did.

-I am not editing this before posting. I figure you've all waited enough. I will go through and edit tomorrow. Let me know if you see anything glaringly obvious please. I'll try to get the next one out soon, but make no promises.


	11. Chapter 9

Okay, I'm back and I'm sorry if I offended anyone last time with my rant. I needed to vent my frustrations at life and that just… happened. This chapter went in a different direction than I thought it would, but I am rather pleased with it. Let me know if you agree or not.

CH. 9

/

Harry sighed, exhausted, as he fell face first onto his bed. It had been such a long day. With Vampires, Lifemates, parties and Mages, he had been going nearly nonstop.

It was almost sunrise now and long past when Harry would normally be asleep already, but he couldn't get his mind to properly shut down.

He knew that he had agreed to talk to Markus, but he was so bloody _nervous _about it. He might just put it off for a few days… just to give himself time to think about this weird situation he found himself in.

/

He stood outside of the house, staring intently at the mountains. Something in that direction was calling to him, and had been for a few days, but he couldn't figure out what it was. All he knew was that it wasn't Vampire, and it wasn't Mage. It didn't feel…Evil. Other than that he had no idea what he was picking up.

It had been a few days since the party, and he had yet to talk to Markus about the Lifemate situation. But that wasn't important at the moment. What was important was figuring out what he was feeling in the mountains.

With a reluctant sigh, he started following the pull. His parents were going to kill him when they found out about this. Currently it was the middle of the day, so anybody who would try to stop him was asleep… except Drusilla and Santino, but they thought he was still asleep in his room.

/

He had walked and hiked for several hours, until the sun had started to go down, but he paid little attention to the lateness of the hour. When it got dark enough that he couldn't see anymore, he lit his wand and continued walking.

'Harry where are you?' The concerned voice of his father echoed through his head.

'I am searching.' He responded in a monotone.

'For what, might I ask?'

'It. I will return after I find It.' He said, still in monotone.

'Harry. Tell me where you are and I will accompany you. We are in Vampire and Mage territory. It is unsafe.'

'The search must be made alone or I will not find It.' He vaguely heard the ancient sigh in resignation.

'I will check in every half hour.' Harry did not respond, so focused on his search that he hardly heard the man.

/

Several more hours passed, as he hiked silently up the mountain. The pull had been getting more insistent the further he went, so he knew he was getting closer.

Abruptly, he stopped. He was there. He closed his eyes, feeling the mountain. There it was. He was right on top of it.

Following his instincts, he sliced a deep gash in his palm and let the dark blood drip onto the rocks in front of him. The mountain gave a great shudder and the earth before him gave way to reveal a set of well-lit stairs.

Without hesitating, he started heading down. After about ten minutes he reached the bottom and saw that he was in a small room.

The room was obviously manmade, carved in great detail, looking like a frozen garden. It was entirely empty, save for a table that had been carved out of the ice. Looking closely at the flowers caved so reverently into every surface of the room, he saw that every single one of them was a Lily. Even the table was covered with the small, detailed carvings. His breath caught as he had a sudden thought as to why he had been called here.

Upon the table was a single, leather-bound book. It too had lilies adorning the cover. Next to the book was a potions vile full of a dark scarlet liquid.

He stared at the book for several long minutes before approaching and opening it to the first page. It was a letter to him… from his Mother.

/

"_My Dearest Hadrian, _

_If you are reading this then I am no longer part of this world. James and I tried our best to protect you, but I fear that didn't go according to plan. If I know the Headmaster as well as I think I do, he will have placed you with my horrid sister and her family. I am sorry. In my will I stated that you were to be placed with Severus Snape. _

_If you are now reading this, then you are in the Carpathian Mountain Range and have met your Mate. I put certain stipulations into the wards, which would call to you if you ever found them. The real reason I am writing, My Dear, is to tell you about your past. While James and I love you with all our hearts, you are not really our son. We found you, while we were on our honeymoon in that part of the world. We couldn't find it in our hearts to leave you at an orphanage, so we brought you home and blood adopted you (the vile is the reversal potion). Despite, not being ours biologically we love you as if you are. _

_The condition in the wards about finding your Mate is because you are descended from some type of creature. We never did figure out what creature that is, but we learned that you have a Mate. If you decide to drink the reversal, your blood will call your Mate to you and bind you together, irrevocably. If you hadn't already met them, this would possibly have bad effects._

_This book is a diary for you to write all your many thoughts in, and to hopefully come to peace with this situation. The first few pages are written by me, about the days before we adopted you. Hopefully this will give you some clues as to who you are._

_I want you to know that no matter has happened in your life, we are proud of you, and always will be. _

_Live life the way you choose, Hadrian, and be happy._

_With all our love,_

_Lily and James Potter (your parents)_

_/_

He stared at the letter several long minutes and then reread it. He had been adopted? What the hell? This was all so messed up.

He didn't know who he was anymore. Apparently he was an unknown creature, and had been abandoned as a baby. Did his _real_ parents not want him for some reason? Was he that much of a freak?

With a frown, he picked up the book and then the vile. He looked around the beautiful room and then heaved a great sigh. He turned and walked up the stairs, confused tears running down his cheeks.

/

He had apparated strait into his room, and sat staring at the book for several long minuets. He reread the letter another few times, trying to make sense of what he was feeling. He was so conflicted.

James and Lily had loved him enough to blood adopt him. That told him that they hadn't been faking. But… who was he?

"Harry?" Francesca asked as she opened the door. "What's wrong?"

"I… don't know who I am anymore." His breath hitched as he started crying again. She wrapped him in her arms.

"Oh Darling, you are exactly who you are supposed to be. Whatever has happened doesn't have to change that."

"Yes it does… The Potters weren't my real parents. They found me, in this area, abandoned. I don't know where I came from or who my real family is, or who I am. They blood adopted me, so I don't even know what I really look like!"

"Harry, you are our family. Gabriel and I see you as our son and Skylar sees you as her brother. It doesn't matter who your _real _parents are because you have never met them. All that matters is that you do what makes you happy."

He nodded slightly, not sure if he really believed her or not.

"Come on Harry, you must eat something. I know you haven't eaten since yesterday."

"Alright."

/

End Chapter 9.

Yes it's short, but it's an update.

I sat down to write this chapter and had a sudden burst of inspiration. Make harry adopted. It gave me a whole other story arc idea. I don't know how long this will actually end up now, other than longer than I planned.

I know you were all hoping for some Harry/Markus interaction, but I couldn't figure out how to fit that in. I will try for next chapter. We will have to see what strikes me next week.


	12. Chapter 10

Alright. Here it is. The next installment. Harry/Markus interaction for all of you! Tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: (I think I forgot to do this the last few chaps but oh well…) If I owned either of these, I could buy a new car!

**CH. 10**

/

The next day, Harry sat on his bed, staring at the vile of scarlet potion. He didn't know what to do. He knew that his family wouldn't care one way or another, but what about Markus?

He knew that he didn't love the Carpathian yet, but being rejected by him would still kill the teen. He honestly doubted that he _would_ be rejected, with everything he had learned about the species over the last few months.

With a heavy sigh he got up and left the room in search of food. He would definitely need energy for today. He had agreed to meet Markus and have that talk… without Gabriel or Francesca being there.

/

He was sitting at a table in the inn waiting for the ancient to arrive, drinking a strong cup of tea. This was so nerve wracking. Why had he decided to see the man without someone there? This was ridiculous. No, he had said he didn't need anyone there so that he could get used to the man. So that they could actually speak without being interrupted. But still, why did he have to do this when he couldn't even get his head on straight? He had no idea what was going on in his life anymore… he had for a while there. And that had been nice. Relaxing.

But now… yeesh.

He felt his Carpathian enter the building and his head jerked up. Wait… his? Why the bloody hell was he already thinking of the man being his? If this was how this was going to go, he had no reason to even learn about the man. He might as well just mate with the man and be done with it. Not.

The man sat down across from him and the green eyed teen raised a silencing barrier so that nobody would be able to overhear their conversation.

"Hello Harry."

"Hello Markus…" he could tell that the other was nervous as well and that helped a bit.

"Tell me about yourself." The man said uncertainly. Harry had never heard of a Carpathian showing his lack of confidence in public, but figured the man was doing it to reassure him.

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

"Anything and everything."

"Umm… alright." He paused to decide what to say first. What was actually pertinent? "I grew up with my Aunt and Uncle in Surry… we never really got along. When I was eleven, I started at a boarding school that my parents paid for me to attend. This past summer, Gabriel and Francesca found me and took me in. I just withdrew myself from school, and here we are." That was the lamest life-story ever, he mused to himself. His life in four sentences. "And you?"

"There isn't much to say, Harry. I am a Hunter. I was sent out with the others to kill the Undead. I came back when the Prince called for us." He said.

"Where were you sent?"

"I hunt anywhere there are vampires. I mainly try and stay in Europe, around Switzerland."

Harry was surprised. "That is close to us. We live in France."

"Hmm. That is quite the coincidence, isn't it?" I would have thought to run into Gabriel over the years." The man mused.

"Well, I know that he had gone to ground for many years. Maybe that is why." Harry suggested.

"That is plausible."

/

They talked for a half hour about inconsequential things. Stuff that didn't really matter all that much, but still told each other something about themselves.

He was kind of surprised that it was so easy to talk to the man when usually he couldn't talk to people he didn't know. This was quite the experience. He wished that the man had told him a little about himself. Not just that he was a hunter. That went without saying. But they had yet to talk about anything really meaningful.

"Harry." The teen looked up from his teacup. The tone of the mans voice had changed subtly.

"Yes?"

"You are aware that we are Lifemates, correct?"

"Yes, I had figured that out the first time I saw you." He admitted hesitantly, wondering what the man was going to say. This was so weird.

"I … don't expect anything of you now, nor do I want you to feel pressured by me. I want to get to know you before anything else."

"That is a relief, Markus. Honestly, I have never been in a relationship before and don't know what to do. This is so far out of the norm for me…" he paused and smiled lightly. "Not that I really have a norm. I had actually feared that you would want to claim me right away..."

"That, I believe, would not have been beneficial to my health." The man said lightly.

/

They had talked for another hour, before Harry decided that he needed to head back to the house. It was getting kind of late. Normally, he would have apparated, but Markus had offered to walk him back, so he couldn't really refuse.

/

Later that evening, he lay on his bed, once again staring at the vile. He hadn't talked to Markus about it, or even about him being adopted. After spending time with the man earlier, he didn't think it would make any difference. He had stopped worrying about that aspect of his decision.

He kind of wondered what he would look like without the potion. What kind of creature was he? That was his biggest question. How had they not known? Maybe he was just deformed and they didn't recognize his species? But that wouldn't make any sense… if his original body was deformed than wouldn't he still be deformed in this one? Probably. Maybe he was an illegitimate hybrid or something? Some creature hybrids were kind of strange looking. That was possible. Of maybe he was an undiscovered species. That was also possible.

When he finally emerged from his room, he had come to a decision. He would take the potion. He wanted to know who and what he was. He wanted to be himself, no matter what that entailed.

"Mum, Dad?" he said softly, garnering their attention. "I think… I want to take the potion. I want to know." They both nodded their acceptance to his decision. It was after all up to him.

"Are you going to take it today?" Francesca asked.

"No, I am going to wait until tomorrow to do it. I don't know how long it will take to work, and I want you both to be there when I do it. I think Markus should be there too."

/

End chapter 10

-alright, tell me what you think please.

-I am kind of nervous about how Markus and Harrys conversation came out, and I think I skimped on it a bit… let me know.


	13. Chapter 11

Alright, thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews! I don't know how well this came out so give me your opinions.

Disclaimer: if I owned either of these I could buy a new car…

**CH. 11**

/

The rest of the day seemed to drag on and on. It seemed never-ending. He had telepathically asked Markus to come over early tomorrow so that he could explain the situation to him. He would need to explain about the wizarding world first of course, but he figured he could handle that.

He read a bit of his textbooks that he had brought with him. After all, just because he wouldn't be going to Hogwarts anymore didn't mean that he couldn't still take his Newts.

After he read several chapters, he got bored of that and started to draw.

Sky had told him several times that he was a really good artist, but he didn't really believe her. He just drew for fun.

/

The next day, Harry sat on the couch in the living room looking uncertainly at Markus. He didn't really know where to start.

"Alright. I guess the best place for me to start is at the beginning." Markus nodded his head slightly, eyes conveying his confusion. "I will start off by saying that I am a wizard and that yes we do exist, just like Carpathians. There are communities of us hidden all over the world." He paused and took a breath. "There is a lot to tell, but right now I just need to get into potions, the rest can wait. The thing with potions is that there is one for almost everything. There are healing potions, lethal poisons, disguise potions, torture, contraceptive, and nutrient. Basically anything you can think of, it's out there. There is also a potion that will make an adopted child be yours genetically."

This part was hard for him to think of, let alone voice aloud again.

"My parents, James and Lily Potter, apparently found my in this mountain range, while they were on their honeymoon. They apparently couldn't bear to leave me at an orphanage, so they blood adopted me. After I met you, Markus, a spell was triggered, that led me to a room carved by my mother. She left a letter telling me that I am apparently of creature blood. They were unable to discover what kind of creature I am."

"She left me a potion that will reverse the affects of the blood adoption. She said that if I had reversed it before having met my mate, we would have been forced together and bonded immediately, and that that could have really bad consequences." He held up the scarlet potion.

"This is the reversal. I want to take it and hopefully find out who and what I am." He finished.

"Alright. What do you need me to do?"

"Just be here. I don't know how long it will take or if it will hurt. I honestly hadn't ever thought about blood adoption and what they entail. I imagine that it will be painful, as it will probably have to restructure my bones and such."

/

After they finished that conversation, Harry called his parents and Skyler into the room and they all got situated. Harry took a moment to look at the potion and to smell it. Unlike most potions, this one didn't smell like dirty socks. It smelled rather pleasant actually. Sort of like… cherry blossoms.

After deciding that it didn't smell like poison, he tilted his head back and drank it in one go. It didn't taste all that bad either.

They sat in silence for several minutes, before a steady burn started to make its way through his body. It felt kind of like his insides were on fire, only not… it wasn't comfortable, but not exactly painful either. The burn in his body faded after a while and made its way to his upper back. Then it did become painful. It felt as though his back was being ripped open again and again and someone was pulling his bones out one at a time. He wasn't embarrassed to admit that he was crying or that he had screamed in pain at one point, right before passing out.

/

When he woke up, he was laying on his stomach, on his bed. His back sort of ached and felt heavier than normal. That was weird… why was his back heavy?

Slowly, he sat up and looked around. He was alone in his room, and that gave him the opportunity to go look in a mirror and see what had changed.

He stared in shock at the image looking back at him. He still had black hair, but it was now a bit passed his shoulders and strait. His eyes were a dark blue that almost looked black. He sighed in defeat… he was still short. That must be a lasting side effect to his years with the Dursleys.

The biggest change though was the large pair of black feathery wings sprouting from his back. No wonder it had hurt. He ran a hand through his hair and gasped when he felt the now pointed tip of his ear. He hadn't been expecting that. He was still slender, but instead of looking skinny, he looked like he was just in great shape (At least that was something).

When he was done with his inspection, he cast a wandless tempus and saw that it was three in the morning. Last he remembered, it was only ten thirty…

He ventured out into the hallway, and then down to the kitchen at the front of the house.

/

When he entered the room, Gabriel and Francesca were there with Sky and Markus. They had apparently been talking, but stopped when he entered.

"What's going on?" he asked with a tilt to his head.

"We are trying to decide what creature you are, Harry." Gabriel told him. "I haven't ever seen anything of the like."

"Gabriel, you hadn't even heard of wizards before you met me." The teen returned dryly.

He wondered if he would be able to find anything in any of the creature books at Flourish and Blotts, but decided that since the potters hadn't been able to figure it out, he wouldn't be able to either.

It didn't really matter all that much, it was just a curiosity thing really. All that mattered to him was that his family didn't mind and that Markus was happy with it.

Honestly, he had trouble believing that he and the Carpathian were getting along so well after such a short time together. But he also understood that the man was trying really hard for him to not be an overbearing Neanderthal (Francesca's' words) like most of the men were with their Lifemates.

/

End of chapter 11. Yay!

So what do you think? Love? Hate? I can't decide what I think. Let me know. What does everyone think Harry is? Let me know. I will let you know in next weeks chapter.


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